NBA Eastern Conference finals matchup

No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 4 Boston Celtics

The Heat's Dynamic Duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade squares off against the Celtics Quartet in what really could be the last series for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo together.

This prideful group won't want to go out without a fight, so it should be an intense and entertaining matchup. The Celtics have a big advantage at point guard with Rondo and will try to exploit it.

But they need Allen, who will be a free agent, to get hot to improve their chances of upsetting the Heat. Slowed by an ankle injury, Allen has shot just 26.9 percent in the playoffs. Boston will have to slow down the game and limit its turnovers to keep James and Wade from running out and getting easy baskets.

The Celtics also have to pack the paint and force the Heat, which remains without Chris Bosh because of an abdominal strain, to beat them from the outside. In the last three games of the Indiana series, Wade and James got in the lane, scored or drew fouls and dominated. The Celtics and Garnett, who also will be a free agent and still is a defensive force, will try to make things difficult for Miami and its two superstars.

Boston won three of the four regular-season meetings, but it will be hard for the Celtics to win four of seven now. They have trouble scoring, lost up-and-coming guard Avery Bradley to shoulder surgery and have had to battle through these playoffs. They needed seven games to beat Philadelphia, giving them just one day of rest before Monday night's opener.

Clearly, both teams will need their complementary players to produce, but James and Wade in their primes probably will be too much for Boston's quartet.

PREDICTION: Heat in six.